Mindful or Mind Full?

Do you know what mindfulness is? Do you want to know why you should practice it and how to practice it?

What is it: Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one's attention in the present moment without judgment. Sounds simple, right?! Well it is! Below I have some short practices that you can do anywhere from 2 minutes to 2 hours (maybe if you are just starting, start with a smaller number, and over time allow the practice to get longer). Why You Should Try It: Before I offer up the practices I want you to know why these practices are beneficial. If you know me, I like backing up yoga with science- so below are empirically supported benefits of mindfulness that I have taken from the American Psychological Association:

• Reduce Rumination

• Stress Reduction

• Boost Working Memory

• Less Emotional Reactivity

• More Cognitive Flexibility

If any of these affects seem like they could make a slight positive difference in your life, maybe it’s worth giving this mindfulness thing a try!

How to Practice: The button above will open a fun little infographic with my personal favorite mindfulness practices that I made for you. As I mentioned earlier, some of these practices you can do for as little as 2 or 3 minutes, or make as long as you want! I recommend trying all of them and seeing which you feel most mindful during, then sticking with that one and trying to make it a habitual practice (as the research shows, consistency is key). Also feel free to change up the practices to whichever way you see fit. What I mean is if you try the 5 Senses practice, but you just want to focus on one of the senses, do that. There is no right or wrong here. I hope you enjoy! And as always- let me know if anything comes up that you would like to discuss. Much Love, Nikki